Attaching fasteners to panels and the like



May 15, 1934. c, PLACE 1,958,678

ATTACHING FASTENERS TO PANELS AND THE LIKE Filed April 3, 1931 19' .2 JWWMM 31 g- I m/a/w Patented May 15, 1934 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHING FASTENERS To PANELS AND THE LIKE Bion 0. Place, Detroit, Mich, assignor of one-half to George E. Gagm'er, Detroit, Mich.

Application April 3, 1931, Serial No. 527,551

Claims. (Cl. 45-138) This invention relates to a method and arabout the attachment between the socket memrangement for attaching stud fasteners of the bers and the panel. Furthermore, in the latter snap type to panels, or the foundations of the arrangement the fasteners considered as a whole 'panels, by bringing about an interlocking between were of relatively complex constructions.

5 the stud fastener and the panel either by snap- Such fasteners also necessitate the application ping the fastener in a socket of the panel so that of the socket member, and the snap fastener a portion thereof yields and then springs into carried thereby, in relation to the trim panel interlocking relation to the panel, or so that a prior to the application of the covering material, portion of the socket held by the panel yields suflithis procedure, making it diflicult to apply the if! ciently to bring about an interlocking by a snap covering material, because of the protruding fasaction between the stud fastener and the panel. tener-s that project from the foundation or body Heretofore snap fasteners of the stud type have of the panel during the covering. Furthermore, been assembled with respect to trim panels and in the arrangements of the kind generally herethe like in several ways. In one of these the tofo're used, not infrequently the socket member l5 fastener is passed through an opening in the for the fastener also projected substantially bepanel from one side thereof until the head abuts yond one or both faces of the body or panel causagainst said side and until the shank of the fasing projections or protrusions from the faces of tener protrudes substantially. beyond the other said body that may become visible through covside of the panel. In securing panels, that are ering material, or that may serve to space the provided with an outer finish surface or coverbodyof the panel from the supporting structure ing which is not to be penetrated for the fastener, so that said body does not lie snugly against said it is troublesome to use this arrangement because supporting structure. it necessitates the application of the cover or at This invention aims to provide a method and least a portion thereof, after the fasteners have assembly of stud fastener and panel, that avoids been passed through the foundation of the panel the disadvantages in the method and assemblies in'the manner just stated. To obviate this difiiheretoforeproposed, by eliminating the projecculty'it has been heretofore proposed to form the tion of the socket, provided to receive the fasopeningsin the foundation or body of the panel tener, substantially beyond .both faces of the body in such a way that the head of the fastener may of the trim panel, by eliminating projection of be passed through the-foundation or body, from the head of the stud beyond either surface of the the rear face thereof, after the covering has been body, and by providing asocket member and applied to the front face. This arrangement stud fastener of such construction that the ashowever requires the formation of relatively large sembly of the socket member and the stud may and specially formed openings, which if made be effected after the covering material has been 35 close to the margins of the foundations of the applied to the panel, when the arrangement is panel have a tendency to weaken it. At the same utilized in the attaching of covered panels in time the head of the stud fastener is in -both inposition, as in the construction of an automobile stances disposed between the outside of the founor similar bodies. dation or body and the covering material, when An important object of the invention accord- 44) such is used, providing a slight p ojection or proingly is to provide a socket for the reception of tuberance that may under certain circumstances a stud fastener of the snap type, so arranged that be visible through the covering material. neither the socket nor the head of the fastener The other arrangement heretofore generally will project beyond either face of the body of the 7 used for anchoring snap stud fasteners with repanel to which it is applied.

45 spect to the foundation or body of a panel have Another important object of the invention is included various sheet metal socket members to to provide an arrangement of socket member receive the head of the fastener. The sheet metal and stud fastener in which the socket member socekt members were generally permanently asand said fastener are designed so that they may sembled with respect to the fastener by the manbe brought into assembled relation by a snap 50 ufacturer, so that the assembly of the socket action from either face of the foundation or body members and snap fastener proper could be supof the panel, after the socket member, designed plied as a unit to the user of the assembly. In to receive the said fastener, has been separately this arrangement the socket members were atapplied to said body. tached to the panels by various ways and meth- A further object of the invention is to provide 55 ads, necessitating the use of machinery to bring a. method of assembling stud fasteners and socket I of any suitable material.

2 members to trim panels, and the'like, by first applying the socket member to such panel and subsequently interlocking the said fastener to said socket. 1

Still further objects of the invention will appear as a description thereof proceeds with reference'to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmental transverse sectional view through a portion of a trim panel and a sup.-

.porting, structure showing a preferred form of stud fastener and socket for securing the panel to said structure.

Figure 2 is a plan view of vvthe arrangement illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view consisting of a grooved grommet in the form thatit assumes prior to the application thereof through the opening in the body or foundation of the trim panel of Figure 1.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are respectively, a top view and two side elevational views of a preferred form of stud fastener utilized to secure the panel in position.

Figure '7 is a sectional view of a modified form of grommet that may be used in place of that illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the grommet of Figure '7 in assembled rela- "tion with respect to the foundation or body of a trim panel.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing another type of said fastener and another arrangement of grommet permitting the fastener to be assembled in respect to the foundation of the body by means of a snap action.

Figure 10 is a sectional view showing a further modification.

Figure 11 is a side elevational view of the fastener included in Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary sectional-view showing how the invention as shown in Figure 3 is used in connection with the cov'ered panel.

Like reference characters indicate like throughout the several figures. v

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the member 10 designates the body or foundation of the cover material, such as the body or foundation of the trim parts panel of an automobile-body for example. Theinvention aims to secure such a body to a supporting structure 11, for example, by means of snap fasteners that-will serve to firmly attach the body snugly against said supporting structure, and without causing any part of the fasten-' er to project beyond the innerpr outer surfaces of said body. The body 10 may be constructed of the automobile bodies is involved, for which this invention is particularly designed, the body can consist of a piece of card-board of relatively stiff character and of substantial thickness. The body is provided with fastener receiving openings preferably arranged at equally spaced intervals along the margins of the body whatever its form.

As illustrated, each fastening unit comprises a grommet 12, which is especially formed so as to provide a socket for the reception of a stud 13, which stud is provided with an expansible and contractible head enabling it to be contracted in entering the opening smaller'than the overall width of the head and to subsequently expand in the opening or socket of the supporting structure to prevent the withdrawal of the fastener.

The grommet 12 forming one part of each fastener unit. consists of an outwardly projecting of'a socket member covering material.

When the finishing and the tips of said ends of annular flange 14, a sleeve-like portion 15 pro- 'vided with an annular groove 16, preferably,

formed by corrugating the sheet metal of which the grommet is formed. The grommet is applied to an opening 17 in the body 10 by inserting the sleeve-like portion 15 thru said opening until the fiange 14 contacts with one side of the body adjacent said opening. The grommet is then in- Preferably the flanges. 1.4 and 18 are pressed into,

the fibrous material of which the body may be formed so that a flush joint is provided between the flanges 14 and 18 and the adjacent portions of the body, so that the socket member or grommet 12 does not, when it is in assembled relation, protrude beyond either surface of the body 10. Since groove 16, as illustrated in Figure 1, is, when the grommet is assembled, disposed approximately midway between the outer and inner surfaces of the body 10, the head of the stud fastener is disposed wholly between said surfaces, that is, it does not project beyond either surface.

The grommet or socket member may be assembled with respect to the panels prior to the assembly of the stud fastener with respect thereto, in view of the fact that no part of the grommet or socket member protrudes beyond the outer or inner surfaces of the body, the panels may be readily packed and shipped with the grommets applied in position, it beingpreferred to assemble the stud fastener, with respect to the panel, just prior to the application of the body to the supporting structure, so that it willbe unnecessary to handle or ship any covering material having protruding fasteners, prior to the time that said covering material or panel is to be applied to the supporting structure.

The stud fastener designed to cooperate with the socket member or grommet just described may assume various forms. The essential characteristics of said fastener, however, when the grommet or socketmember of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is used, is that the head'of the stud be capable of resilient expansion andcontraction so that the assembly of the stud with respect to the socket member or'grommet may be conveniently brought about by a snap action,

when it is desired to apply said fasteners to the Preferably a stud fastener such as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is used, this fastener possessing a head that has the necessary inherent characteristics 'to bring about 'convenient assembly of the-grommet or socket memher and the head of the stud fastener. The stud fastener presently-to be described is covered by myPatent Number 1,679,266 granted July 31st, 1928, and reference may be had to-said patent for a more complete description of the fastener. Brieflyv the fastener'is constructed of a single piece of spring wire, the midportion of which is bent into the form of a loop 19 constituting the head of the fastener. The portions of the wire adjacent the part from which loop 19 is formed are turned inwardly in the plane of the loops as indicated in 20 and 21, providingv arms that carry the ends of the wire constituting the shank thereof. Said endsare turned approximately into planes at right angles to the loop 19 and are bowed outwardly between the head or loop 19 the wire from which the stud fastener is formed, as shown at 22 and 23, thus providing divergently disposed holding portions 24 and 25 and convergently disposed guiding portions 26 and 2'7. It will be observed from Figure 4 that the arms 20 and 21 are disposed in spaced relation, so that the loop 19 may be contracted in diameter for the purpose presently to be referred to. The'stud fastener is preferably bent into the form just described prior to the tempering of the wire. After it -is bent into said form the wire is tempered, providing a spring stud fastener having a high degree of stifiness, as well as sufficient resilience'so that the fastener may be contracted and expanded in use.

The one-piece wire stud fastener is assembled with respect to the body 10 by contracting the loop 19 so that said loop may pass into the grommet 12, which is formed smaller than the head in normal form after which said head is permitted to expand into the groove formed by the corrugation therein. The stud of the fastener may accordingly be assembled with respect to the panel by a snap action, use being made of the characteristic of the head of the fastener that it is expansible and contractible. As illustrated in Figure 1, when the loopl9 is sprung into the groove 16 in the grommet, the head of the fastener is disposed between the inner and outer surfaces of the foundation of body 10 with the shank of the fastener projecting a substantial distance beyond the inner face of said body.

In use, the foundation or body is provided with a multiplicity of stud fasteners interlocked with the grommet in the manner just stated, after which the panel may be applied to the supporting structure 11 by applying pressure in a direction parallel to the length of the shank of the fastener after entering said shank in the perforations 28 in said supporting structure. When the stud fasteners are entered in said perforations the guiding portions 26 and 27 engage the corners of said perforations and as pressure is applied to the fastener the divergently disposed portions 24 and 25 are brought close enough together to permit the shank of the fastenemto be passed through the openings 28. As the movement of the fastener is continued through said opening the divergently disposed holding portions 24 and 25 spring apart and engage the inner corners of the opening of the supporting structure serving to firmly and resiliently draw the covering material into contact with the supporting structure in the manner fully described in my patent above referred to.

If desired the grommet may be made in'the form shown in Figure 7, in whichthe skirt 15 thereof is slotted at a multiplicity of places as indicated at 29, providing a multiplicity of tongues 30, which in operative position are bent over upon the surface of the covering material, and

are preferably pressed into said, material as in-- dicated in Figure 8 to provide flush inints. Thi arrangement permits the ready assembly of the grommet with respect to the body since the tongues 30 may more readily be brought into contact with the body 10, than the flange 18 of the form shown in Figure 1 Moreover, this construction can be adapted to openings of varying sizes in the panel constituting the covering material by bending the tongues 30 to a greater or less degree, so that the material is firmly gripped between said tonguesand the flange 14 abutting against the o posite side of the covering material. a

The arrangements so far described may be conveniently used to secure covered panels to automobile or similar bodies, in view of the fact that the stud may be assembled with respect to the panel after the covering material is applied thereto as above pointed out.

Referring to Figure 12, a covered panel consisting of the foundation or body 10' of a trim panel is illustrated. Said foundation or body 10' is provided with an opening 1'1 therein. The grommet 12 is applied to said foundation in the manner above described in any suitable manner. In this condition the foundations may be readily transported and handled because there 'are no substantial projections from .either face thereof. Such foundations may then be covered with a suitable fibrous finishing material 31 that is wrapped around the edges in well known manner, the fabric lapping said edges terminating short of the openings in the grommets. The stud fasteners may be assembled with respect to said foundations just prior to the application of the foundation to the supporting structure.

If desired, sheet metal stud fasteners such as shown in Figure 11 may be used instead of the preferred one-piece wire stud fasteners above described. Such a fastener may include a head in the form of a sheet metallic disk 32, having a multiplicity therefrom. Said tongues may be curved upwardly as shown at 34 providing spring fingers that are inwardly curved at their tips to provide guiding of tongues 33 radiating outwardly wardly when the head of the fastener is entered into a grommet in the manner presently to be described. The head 32 is provided with a sheet metal contractible and expansible shank similar to the above fastener, said shank comprising a neck portion 35 and a reduced portion 36 and a globular or spherical portion 37. The shank of the fastener is split as shown at 38 to divide it into segments which permit the shank of the fastener to be contracted, as it enters the perforation or socket designed to receive it, and to subsequently expand in said socket or perforation.

The fastener just described may be assembled with respect to a grommet 12, provided with a groove 16, that is secured to the body of covering material 10 as shown in Figure'lO in the manv ner above described. By entering the head 32 of the fastener into said grommet the curved annular surfaces of the grommet engaging the curved surfaces of the tips of the tongues 33, cause an inward bending of said tongues enabling the head of the fastener to be pressed inwardly so that the said tongues may be disposed opposite the groove 16. When in this position, the tongues spring into the said groove firmly holding the fastener in interlocked relation to the grommet or equivalent socket member.

After the stud fastener just described has been assembled with respect to the panel or body 10, in the manner just stated, the panel may be at- 'tached to the supporting structure 11, by entering the shank of the sheet metallic fastener into the opening 28 provided therein to receive it in a manner now well known inthe art.

If desired a stud fastener may be used including a head that is not contractible and expansible, in which event a grommet would be used in which a part thereof is contractible and expansible so as to permit the assembly of the fastener with respect to the grommet by a snap action. An arrangement of this character is illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings in which a fastener of the type shown in Figure 11 is provided with a disc-like used to hold said fastener in a snap action,

head 39 of usual character in which form it can not readily be contracted. Grommet 40 may be respect to the body 10 of the covering material. Such grommet may be provided with an annular groove 41 for the reception of the head 39 of the fastener. In order that said head may be inserted in said groove by the grommet is provided with a multiplicity of flexible tongues 42 that lap the inner surface of the body 10 as shown at 43, and are each shaped to provide an inclined guiding surface 44 to a relatively sharp shoulder 45, forming one side of. the groove 41 in the grommet 40. The fastener is assembled with respect to the construction just described by forcingthe head 39 into the grommet, the tongues 44 yielding sufficiently to permit the entryof said head in the groove 41. When the head reaches this position thetongues spring outwardly presenting shoulders 45 that serve to hold the fastener in interlocked relation with respectto the body or covering material. In this form of the invention, as well as in the other forms sufficient play may be maintained between the bottom of the grooves in the grommets and the edges of the head of the stud fastener so. that slight lateral shifting of the stud fastener with respect to the socket may be provided. Such play will enable the shank of the fastener to be brought into registry with any opening or socket in the supporting structure that does not accurately align with said shank. In actual practice it is diflicult to secure exact alinement between the fastener and the openings in the supporting structure.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Thepresent embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects,

as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by 'the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the'meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:-- r 1. Upholstery or coverng material ready for attachment to a supporting structure, comprising, covering material provided with a perforation, a grommet lining said perforation and provided with a groove, a snap fastener having a contractible and expansible' head snapped into the groove in said grommet.

2. Upholstery or covering material ready for attachment to a supporting structure, comprising, covering material provided with a perforation, a metallic element lining said perforation, a fastener having a relatively wide and thin head and a shank projecting away from said head, said fastener being held in interlocked engagement with said material by means of resilient members forming a part of said element and engaging said head within said perforation.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 in which said element is a grommet and said members are separated tongues forming inclined surfaces to guide the head of the fastener into operative po sition, each tongue having a shoulder to engage a part of said head to prevent withdrawal of said fastener.

4. In combination, a supporting structure having an opening, covering material lapping said supporting structure and provided with a perforation disposed opposite said opening, a grommet lining said aperture, and provided with a circumferential groove, and a snap fastener having a head and a shank securing said material to said structure, said head being sprung into the groove in said grommet and said shank being sprung in said opening.

5. Upholstery material ready forattachment -to a supporting structure comprising covering material, an annular sheet metallic element secured to said material, said annular element being provided with means to interlock a fastener inserted therein into position, and a fastener having a relatively wide and thin head and an elongated shank extending away from said head interlocked with said element by snapping said head in said element, said head being constructed of spring wire bent into the form of a loop with separated ends.

' BIQN C. PLACE. 

